Storks prefer moist swampy localities, as they feed principally on Reptiles, Batrachians and Fishes; but small Birds and Mammalia, Molluscs, Worms, Insects, even Bees are not refused by them, or carrion, and other impurities. Their manner is slow and grave; they never appear in a hurry. On the wing they resemble crosses, from their manner of carrying the head and neck. They have no voice, and the only noise they make is a cracking, which results from one mandible striking against the other, and which expresses either anger or love; it is sometimes very loud. They lay from two to four eggs. The duration of their life is from fifteen to twenty years. There are several species of Storks, the most important being the White Stork. It measures about forty inches in height; its plumage is white; the wings are fringed with black. This is the species best known in Europe. Holland and Germany are its favorite residences. It is very common in the warm and temperate parts of Asia. In the month of August it leaves Europe to visit Africa, from whence it returns in the following spring. This migration is not caused by temperature, as the Stork can bear severe cold. No, it is a mere question of sustenance; for, feeding as it does principally upon reptiles which remain in a complete state of torpor during our winters, it is naturally compelled to seek its food elsewhere. The Stork is of a mild nature, and is easily tamed. As it destroys a host of noxious creatures, it has become a useful helper to Man, who, not ungrateful, gives it protection. In ancient Egypt it was venerated on the same score as the Ibis; in Thessaly there was a law which condemned to death any one killing these Birds. Even at the present day the Germans and Dutch esteem it a fortunate omen when a Stork selects their house for its home, and they even furnish it with inducements to do so by placing on their roofs a box or wheel, which forms a foundation for the Bird to build a nest, which it constructs of reeds, grass and feathers. The Black Stork is rather smaller than the White Stork; it is a native of eastern Europe. It feeds almost exclusively on Fish, which it catches with much skill. It is very shy; avoids the society of Man; and builds its nest in trees. The Argala, also called the Adjutant, is characterized by its very strong and large bill, and the bareness of its neck, the lower part of which is provided with a pouch somewhat resembling a large sausage. According to Temminck, there is a notable difference between the Marabou and the Argala, the characteristic mark of the latter frequently hanging down a foot, while it is much shorter in the Marabou.